Pitfalls and risks: what to check before sending a deposit

The Croatian market has specific features that Czech buyers do not expect, and which Czech experience with the land registry does not cover at all. These are the four most expensive traps in the order people actually encounter them.

1. Construction without a permit or without regularisation

A large part of Croatia's building stock was constructed "illegally" – without a building permit, with a permit but not in accordance with it, or with unauthorised extensions. The state addressed this through waves of mass regularisation (most recently the Legalisation Act of 2012, with applications accepted until 2013/2018); however, many owners never applied for regularisation or failed to complete the process.

What this means for you: An unauthorised building cannot be properly insured, financed by a mortgage, or officially rented to tourists, and the municipality can theoretically order its removal. It is sold "cheaply" – precisely for that reason.

2. Pomorsko dobro: a strip by the sea that will never be yours

Pomorsko dobro (maritime estate) is a legally protected public strip along the sea. According to the Act on Maritime Property and Ports (NN 83/23, effective from 29 July 2023), it refers to a strip of land wide at least 6 metres from the line of medium, high and highest water levels, measured horizontally, in practice however by the amount specified by the declared boundary, which is significantly wider at beaches, piers and access routes. Maritime public domain is outside legal commerce: ownership cannot be acquired on it either through purchase or adverse possession, only a concession, or possibly a permit for activity from the municipality (permit on maritime public domain).

Past: a house "first row by the sea", part of which (terrace, pier, section of garden) lies in public domain. You do not buy that part, even if the seller has fenced it off for thirty years.

How to determine the boundary line for a specific plot of land

For properties near water, this is the key question: and the answer "ask a lawyer" is insufficient at the outset. The sensible procedure to follow in this order:

1. Find out the exact cadastral number of the plot and cadastral territory (cadastral number and cadastral territory) from the land register. Verify the location in Geoportalu DGU.
2. Obtain an extract from the land registry and the land book (oss.uredjenazemlja.hr) and check whether the plot or part of it is already registered as pomorsko dobro. If so, it is done: and you know what you are dealing with.
3. Ask the county office for Pomorsko dobro (the maritime domain administrative department of the relevant county), whether the jurisdictional boundary for a given stretch of coastline has been officially determined or is still pending determination. The decision on the boundary is issued by the Ministry upon the proposal of the county commission. Some counties (e.g., Primorsko-goranska, Splitsko-dalmatska) publish the declared boundaries in their GIS.
4. If the boundary is not defined, control is possible. request by call - A proposal for the processing of the boundary is submitted to the county commission (the county administration has a form for this; in the Zadar region it is GPD 1A). The proposal then undergoes a 30-day public consultation, after which the ministry makes its decision. Allow months, not weeks; this is not a procedure you can complete between reservation and signing.
5. Before the boundary is established, a statutory strip applies. A practical interim step that can be taken immediately: have it... authorised surveyor (have an authorised surveyor) measure the path of the legal boundary line across the plot and compare it with what the seller is actually selling you.

3. Land Register vs. Cadastre, Two Records, Two Truths

The legal status is pending court proceedings. land register (land registry), technical condition katastar. Historically, discrepancies arise: differing measurements, unbuilt structures, plots not transferred for decades following inheritances, and co-ownership shares fragmented among relatives in Australia. You purchase only what is recorded in the land registry—and only from those registered therein. If the seller is "finalising an inheritance", wait until it is completed; meanwhile, any deposit should be held solely in a notary's or lawyer's escrow account.

4. Land outside the local development plan (and promises of "soon-to-be building land")

The only construction element is the plot of land in construction area in accordance with the municipal land-use plan (UPU/PPU). Plots described as "right next door, surely rezoning will happen soon" are a classic trap for foreigners, rezoning may never occur, and agricultural land by the sea is almost worthless without it. An extract from the land-use plan (certificate of land use) is issued by the municipality, costs a few euros and takes a few days.

Quick checklist before backup

• Extract from the land register (title deed) not older than a few days: ownership 1/1, free of encumbrances.
• Building permit + completion certificate / decision on regularisation
• Alignment of cadastral measurements × land register × actual conditions
• Boundaries of Pomorsko dobro (for properties near water)
• Land designation extract from the local plan (for plots and houses with a garden)
• Energy certificate (mandatory when selling)
• Settled municipal fees and utilities (confirmation from the municipality/suppliers)